Riverbend– whose book just won a good prize from a German foundation, I saw yesterday– has a new post on her blog. It makes depressing reading.
She concludes:
- We literally laugh when we hear the much subdued threats American politicians make towards Iran. The US can no longer afford to threaten Iran because they know that should the followers of Sadr, Iranian cleric Sistani and Badir’s Brigade people rise up against the Americans, they’d have to be out of Iraq within a month. Iran can do what it wants- enrich uranium? Of course! If Tehran declared tomorrow that it was currently in negotiations for a nuclear bomb, Bush would have to don his fake pilot suit again, gush enthusiastically about the War on Terror and then threaten Syria some more.
Congratulations Americans- not only are the hardliner Iranian clerics running the show in Iran- they are also running the show in Iraq. This shift of power should have been obvious to the world when My-Loyalty-to-the-Highest-Bidder-Chalabi sold his allegiance to Iran last year. American and British sons and daughters and husbands and wives are dying so that this coming December, Iraqis can go out and vote for Iran influenced clerics to knock us back a good four hundred years.
What happened to the dream of a democratic Iraq?
Earlier on in the post, she gives some really interesting background to the way the legacy of the 8-year Iran-Iraq war still lingers in the minds of many Iraqis. Very somber reading, the whole thing.
(Hat-tip to the amazing Susan– yes, “our” Susan from the Comments boards here at JWN– who noted this rare new offering from River in her lengthy and informative new post over at Today in Iraq. Great job, Susan!)
Riverbend’s essay corresponds with another source of background information that I have been following. Unlike some of her previous posts that sometimes read like screeds, this one wells up from the heart. It should be required reading for everyone, but references to the Badr Brigade SCIRI, al-Sadr and other terms ring hollow for readers who have not read the background. And I’m afraid thumbnail sketches and one-liners won’t do the trick.